
Issue No 37		29 October 1999

News

Big Rail Fine Just Tip of Iceberg

Government rail authorities face further prosecutions in the wake of a massive $420,000 fine against the State Rail Authority handed down in the NSW Industrial Relations commission this week.

The decision by Justice Greg Maidment, the second largest ever in the state, followed severe injuries after being struck by a train while walking along railway tracks under a bridge near Erskineville Station.

Maidment found the accident arose from a failure by State Rail to provide adequate warning systems and represented a serious breach of tis obligations under the occupational health and Safety Act.

In setting the high penalty, Maidment was influenced by the SRA's record of 21 prosecutions in the past decade.

The Rail Tram and Bus Union told this week's Labor Council meeting that the prosecution is just the tip of an iceberg that has seen 12 rail fatalities since the accident at the centre of the case occurred in 1996.

These have been concentrated in the track maintenance work now carried out by Rail Services Australia, which separated from the SRA in 1996, the most recent just a few months ago at Sydenham station.

Workers Online understands that Rail Service Australia are being actively investigated over some of these fatalities.

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Issue 37 contents

Republic: Yes, It's Time
Opposition leader Kim Beazley invoked the spirit of '72 when he launched the ALP's Republic campaign.

Interview: What Price a Just Republic?
Magistrate Pat O�Shane is far from happy with the republican model. But she still believes a Yes vote is her best chance for genuine constitutional reform.

Economics: Who the EFIC are you?
If you have not heard of Export Credit Agencies, don't be surprised because it seems they're not too interested in letting the public know what they do.

Unions: Old Habits Die Hard
With the release of its blue print unions@work the ACTU seems to know where it wants to go. But again it has failed to face up to the underlying structural issues preventing it from getting there.

Legal: Second Wave: Reith's Non-Right to Strike
Peter Reith has called his new laws the Workplace relations Amendment (More Jobs Better Pay) Bill 1999. If legislation is to carry these new, colloquial titles then the �More Control, Less Freedom� Bill would be a better title.

International: Wahid�s New Team
Indonesias new government is blemished by Suharto-era appointees but an advance for reform, says Indonesia�s trade unions.

History: They Fought Them on the Airwaves
Radio broadcasts were an important weapon in the long-running struggle for equal pay.

Satire: Revealed: SOCOG Reserving Gold Medals for Tattersalls
The scandal over the secret allotment of premium tickets for the 2000 Olympics escalated today with the news that members of Sydney�s elite Tattersall�s Club will receive Gold Medals without actually competing.

Review: What The Age Wouldn�t Print
Some time before Monday 18 October, Age editor Michael Gawenda saw red and then got out his blue pencil. An article, heavily critical of Robert Manne, written by Overland editor Ian Syson, was pulled by Gawenda.

» Ticket Machines Used to Spy on Workers

» Vics Look North for IR Inspiration

» Union Construct New Buildings for East Timor

» Holy Sheet! Dirty Olympic Linen to Cost Jobs

» Lunchtime Sizzles as Workers Burn

» Carnivale Changes An Assault On Working Class Migrants

» Child Carers Fight Christmas Lay-Offs

» Spiderman Strikes as Women Sink Second Wave

» Big Rail Fine Just Tip of Iceberg

» Micky Mouse Union Blocked by Commission

» Where Were You on November 6?

» POSITION VACANT: MEAA Inquiry Desk Officer